ACC notebook: Family feud for Wake, La. Monroe coaches?

Published: Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 12:14 AM.

“He’s one of the people who really helped me through that season,” Connette said. “Seeing the way he helped me lets me know how to approach him during this whole situation.”

Connette said he also learned plenty from Sean Renfree, who wrapped up his college career as Duke’s quarterback last year. Connette said Renfree taught him about being a quarterback and a leader.

“Sean Renfree took me under his wing when I first got here and prepared me for being a quarterback,” Connette said. “… He learned it from Thad Lewis before that.”

■ FROM GAME TO GAME: North Carolina State went from a blowout of Louisiana Tech in its first game to a final-minute escape of Richmond in its second game. Coach Dave Doeren said there was one significant difference between those games as the outing against Richmond unfolded.

“We just didn’t finish drives like we did in the first game,” he said.

The Wolfpack is off this week, awaiting next Thursday night’s visit from Clemson.

Just when you wonder what possibly Wake Forest and Louisiana-Monroe could have in common as the first football meeting between the schools is two days away, there’s a brewing light-hearted family feud. Wake Forest alum Jerry McManus is tight ends coach for Louisiana-Monroe. His son, Ryan McManus, is a graduate assistant coach for Wake Forest, where he lettered as a backup quarterback from 2006-09.

The conversations have been rather bland.

“We haven’t been able to talk specific football for the past six months once this game got announced,” Ryan McManus said.

Jerry McManus was a Wake Forest assistant from 1987-95. This is Ryan McManus’ second season on the coaching staff.

“It will be nice once this game is over, we can kind of get into in-depth football and schemes and things like that,” Ryan McManus said.

Also, Wake Forest nose tackle Nikita Whitlock and Louisiana-Monroe receiver Colby Harper were teammates at Wylie High School in Texas.

■ PASSING IT DOWN AT DUKE: Brandon Connette, who has become Duke’s new starting quarterback, said he has a good idea about how to communicate with former starter\ Anthony Boone, who has suffered a broken collarbone. Connette missed all except two games of the 2011 season with injuries.

“He’s one of the people who really helped me through that season,” Connette said. “Seeing the way he helped me lets me know how to approach him during this whole situation.”

Connette said he also learned plenty from Sean Renfree, who wrapped up his college career as Duke’s quarterback last year. Connette said Renfree taught him about being a quarterback and a leader.

“Sean Renfree took me under his wing when I first got here and prepared me for being a quarterback,” Connette said. “… He learned it from Thad Lewis before that.”

■ FROM GAME TO GAME: North Carolina State went from a blowout of Louisiana Tech in its first game to a final-minute escape of Richmond in its second game.
Coach Dave Doeren said there was one significant difference between those games as the outing against Richmond unfolded.

“We just didn’t finish drives like we did in the first game,” he said.

The Wolfpack is off this week, awaiting next Thursday night’s visit from Clemson.